Representative Publications

Peer-Reviewed Publications 

Cárdenas, E. F., Hill, K., Estes, E., Jackson, M., Venanzi, L. Humphreys, K. L., & Kujawa, A. (2023). Neural reactivity to infant emotion cues during pregnancy: Associations with peripartum anxiety and depressive symptoms. Biological Psychology, 183, 108673. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biopsycho.2023.108673

Burkhouse, K. L., Dao, A., Argiros, A., Granros, M., Cárdenas, E. F., Dickey, L., Feurer, C., Hill, K., Pegg, S., Venanzi, L., & Kujawa, A. (2023). Targeting positive valence systems function in children of mothers with depressive symptoms: A pilot randomized trial of an RDoC-informed preventive intervention. Behaviour Research and Therapy, 168, 104384. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.brat.2023.104384

Dickey, L., Pegg, S., Cárdenas, E. F., Green, H., Waxmonksy, J., Pérez-Edgar, K., & Kujawa, A. (2023). Neural predictors of improvement with cognitive behavioral therapy for adolescents with depression: An examination of reward responsiveness and emotion regulation. Research on Child and Adolescent Psychopathology, 51, 1069–1082.  https://doi.org/10.1007/s10802-023-01054-z

Cárdenas, E. F., Hill, K., Estes, E., Ravi, S., Molnar, A., Humphreys, K. L., & Kujawa, A. (2023). Neural and behavioral indicators of cognitive control in preschoolers with and without prenatal opioid exposure. Child Neuropsychology, Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1080/09297049.2023.2196397

Cárdenas, E. F., Kujawa, A., & Humphreys, K. L. (2022). Benevolent childhood experiences and childhood maltreatment history: Examining their roles in depressive symptoms across the peripartum period. Adversity and Resilience Science, 3(2), 169-179. https://doi.org/10.1007/s42844-022-00062-0

Cárdenas, E. F., Kujawa, A., & Humphreys, K. L. (2022). A preliminary test of a brief online intervention for enhancing parental reflective function and the role of parental depressive symptoms. Journal of Child and Family Studies, 31, 2145- 2155. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10826-022-02330-0

Belleau, E., Bolton, T., Kaiser, R. H., Clegg, R., Cárdenas, E. F., Goer, F., Pechtel, P., Beltzer, M., Vitaliano, G., Olson, D. P., Teicher, M. H., & Pizzagalli, D. A. (2022). Resting state brain network dynamics: Associations with childhood sexual abuse and major depressive disorder. NeuroImage: Clinical, 36, 103164. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nicl.2022.103164

Robble, M. A., Schroder, H. S., Kangas, B. D., Nickels, S., Breiger, M, Iturra-Mena, M., Perlo, S., Cárdenas, E. F., Der-Avakian, A., Barnes, S. A., Leutgeb, S., Risbrough, V. B., Vitaliano, G., Bergman, J., Carlezon, W. A., & Pizzagalli, D. A. (2021). Concordant neurophysiological signatures of cognitive control in humans and rats. Neuropsychopharmacology, 46, 1252-1262. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41386-021-00998-4

Cárdenas, E. F., Kujawa, A., & Humphreys, K. L. (2020). Neurobiological changes during the peripartum period: Implications for health and behavior. Social Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience, 15(10), 1097-1110. https://doi.org/10.1093/scan/nsz091

Schroder, H. S., Nickels, S., Cárdenas, E. F., Breiger, M., Perlo, S., & Pizzagalli, D. (2019). Optimizing assessments of post-error slowing: A neurobehavioral investigation of a flanker task. Psychophysiology, 57(2), e13473. https://doi.org/10.1111/psyp.13473

Selected Conference Poster Presentations

Cárdenas, E. F., Pegg, S., Jackson, M., Humphreys, K. L., (2024, June) The roles of birth-related stressors and social reward responsiveness in postpartum depressive, anxiety, and traumatic intrusions symptoms. Poster presented at the 2024 Conference of Ford Fellows, Washington, D.C.

Cárdenas, E. F., Kaylin, K.E., Estes, E., Jackson, M., Venanzi, L., Humphreys, K. L., & Kujawa, A. (2023, September). Predicting risk for peripartum depression and anxiety through trajectories of emotional reactivity to infant distress cues. Poster presented at the Society for Research in Psychopathology (SRP), St. Louis, MO.

Cárdenas, E. F., Pegg, S., Estes, E., Jackson, M., Venanzi, L., Humphreys, K. L., & Kujawa, A. (2023, April). An examination of social and monetary responsiveness in postpartum women and associations with depression and anxiety. Poster presented at the Anxiety and Depression Association of America (ADAA), Washington, D.C.

Cárdenas, E. F., Estes, E., Jackson, M., Venanzi, L., Humphreys, K. L., & Kujawa, A. (2022, September). Emotional reactivity to infant distress cues during pregnancy: Associations with peripartum. Poster presented at the Society for Research in Psychopathology (SRP), Philadelphia, PA.

Cárdenas, E. F., K. L., Humphreys, & Kujawa, A. (2022, June). The role of birth complications and social reward responsiveness in postpartum depression. Flash-talk presented at the Montreal Conference on Stress, Development, and Depression, Montreal, QC.

Cárdenas, E. F., Kujawa, A., & Humphreys, K.L. (2021, June). Benevolent childhood experiences and childhood maltreatment history as predictors of postpartum depressive symptoms. Poster presented at the Journal of Clinical Child and Adolescent Psychology Future Directions Forum, Online.

Cárdenas, E. F., Kujawa, A., & Humphreys, K. L. (2020, June) Enhancing Parental Reflective Functioning: Evidence for a brief online intervention. Poster presented at the Journal of Clinical Child and Adolescent Psychology Future Directions Forum, Washington, DC. 

Cárdenas, E. F., Meluginr, P. R., Cole, D. A., & Kujawa, A. (2019, Sept). The effects of social anxiety and depression symptoms on task elicited cognitive, emotional and neural reactivity. Poster presented at the Society for Research in Psychopathology (SRP), Buffalo, NY.  

Cárdenas, E. F., Kujawa, A., Kessel, E., & Klein, D. N. (2018, Sept). The effects of peer relational victimization and inflammation on depressive symptoms in children. Poster presented at the Society for Research in Psychopathology (SRP), Indianapolis, IN. 

Cárdenas, E. F., Belleau, E., Clegg, R., Goer, F., Beltzer, M., Olson, D. P., Vitaliano, G., Kaiser, R. H., Teicher, M., & Pizzagalli, D. A. (2017, Nov). Corticostriatal abnormalities in women with childhood sexual abuse and major depressive disorder. Poster Presentation at the Neurocognitive Therapies/ Translational Research Special Interest Group Annual Meeting at the Association for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies (ABCT), San Diego, CA. 

Cárdenas, E. F., Belleau, E., Clegg., R., Goer, F., Beltzer, M., Olson, D. P., Vitaliano, G., Kaiser, R. H., Teicher, M., & Pizzagalli, D. A. (2017, Sept). The effects of major depressive disorder and child sexual abuse on corticostriatal connectivity. Poster presentation at the Society for Research in Psychopathology (SRP), Denver, CO. 

Selected Conference Symposia

Cárdenas, E. F., Pegg, S., Estes, E., Jackson, M., Venanzi, L., Humphreys, K. L., & Kujawa, A. (2023, May). Social reinforcement sensitivity: A translational neuroscience approach. Symposium presented at the American Psychological Science (APS), Washington, DC.

Cárdenas, E. F., K. L., Humphreys, & Kujawa, A. (2021, November). Auditory cry sounds enhance neural processing of infant faces across the peripartum period. Symposium presented at the International Society for Developmental Psychobiology (ISDP), Online.

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Honors

Grant Support: 

Ruth L. Kirschstein Predoctoral Individual National Research Service Award (NRSA). 1F31MH135650-01, National Institute of Mental Health, Role: Principal Investigator, 2023-2024.

Ford Foundation Predoctoral Fellow. The National Academies of Science, Engineering, and Medicine, Role: Principal Investigator, 2020-2023. 

Awards & Honors: 

National Register of Health Service Psychologists Internship Travel Scholarship. American Psychological Foundation, 2024. 

Barbara Wallston Award. Vanderbilt University, 2024.

President’s Award for Excellence in Research. Society for Research in Psychopathology, 2023. 

Julius Seeman Award. Vanderbilt University, 2023. 

Alies Muskin Career Development Leadership Program (CDLP). Anxiety and Depression Association of America, 2023. 

Abstract/Travel Award. International Studies for Developmental Psychobiology, 2021. 

UC-Davis/SDSU ERP Boot Camp. R25MH080794 from National Institute of Mental Health, 2019. 

Phi Beta Kappa. University of California, Los Angeles, 2019. 

Thesis Distinctions of Highest Honors. University of California, Los Angeles, 2016. 

Honors Council Member's Award. University of California, Los Angeles, 2015. 

Stone Endowment for Summer Research. University of California, Los Angeles, 2015. 

Marica Berger Education Fund. University of California, Los Angeles, 2014.